Posted on 01/18/2006 10:46:04 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Democrats are trying to gain the edge in the race for lobbying ethics reform with a package of measures to bar members of Congress from accepting gifts, meals and travel from lobbyists.
House and Senate Democratic leaders are to outline their approach to cleaning up the tainted relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists on Wednesday, a day after House Republican leaders announced that lobbying reform had moved to the top of their legislative priorities.
The battle to gain the ethical high ground comes amid the election-year scandal resulting from the activities of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who personally or through his clients showered lawmakers with contributions, meals, skybox seats or golf trips. Abramoff has pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges and is cooperating with prosecutors.
"We have a duty to do everything we can to keep the trust and confidence of our constituents," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Tuesday in describing legislation that would ban privately funded travel, tighten the gift ban, double to two years the time between a lawmaker's retirement and when he can become a lobbyist and increase disclosure requirements for lobbyists.
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said that while the Abramoff scandal was largely "a Republican sin," because the lobbyist was closely aligned with top Republicans, "neither party has a monopoly on virtue."
"It is important for Democrats not to get on their high horse but to recognize that some of the corruption that's been taking place in Washington is going to require bipartisan work to clean up," Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.
In Columbus, Ohio, Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean vowed that his party would "put an end" to the corruption. "This cycle of corruption has to be broken, and we will break it," Dean said.
House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, who is leading the GOP effort to craft lobbying legislation, said that when the House returns to business in two weeks his committee will act on a rule banning former members-turned-lobbyists from entry on the House floor. He said he hoped to pass comprehensive legislation by the end of February.
Democrats tried to link Abramoff to Republicans, the main recipients of his largesse, and insist that the only real solution was to vote them out of office next November. "Mr. Abramoff and his associates are just the symptom. The disease is right here in the Capitol, with the party of power in Washington," said Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y., the Rules Committee's top Democrat.
Two senior Republicans have already taken a fall because of their ties to Abramoff. Former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, announced after Abramoff's guilty plea that he would not try to regain the post he relinquished after being indicted on campaign finance charges in Texas. And Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, temporarily stepped down as House Administration Committee chairman.
The legislation House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid are to announce will cover much of the same ground as Hastert's: tightening bans on gifts and travel and slowing the "revolving door" between Congress and lobbying jobs.
The scramble to write lobbying legislation was welcomed by long ignored clean government groups.
"This week we are in the middle of a bidding war with various reform proposals being announced by Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21. "This is a case where you are going to have to read the fine print to make judgments about the effectiveness of the proposals being announced."
The Democratic proposal also would crack down on special interest provisions slipped into legislation in the final moments before passage. Hastert said he was ready to discuss restrictions on earmarks as long as the House and Senate acted together on the issue.
The Democratic measure also has a provision to shut down "pay-to-play" ventures such as the "K Street Project" where Republicans pressure lobbying groups to hire Republicans and direct funds to GOP causes. K Street in Washington is a center for lobbying firms.
Hastert acknowledged that, during a conference call with House Republicans Tuesday, not all favored a total ban on privately funded trips.
Rep. John Shadegg (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., who is running to succeed DeLay as majority leader, put out a statement saying, "Many trips are truly educational, and I believe a complete ban on all private travel would be an overreaction that doesn't get to the root of the problem."
Under current rules, sanctioned interest groups and think tanks can finance travel for speeches, meetings and fact-finding missions. Lobbyists are already banned from paying for such trips.
"You're putting me on, right? Most hear remember Mary Jo Kopechne who was left to drown in Teddy's Olsmobile while he high-tailed it out of there until he had time to sober up and have his aides make up a good story. Young girl dead - fat drunken Ted goes on to give speeches to others about how the things they do "trouble" him."
I'll bet Teddy wasn't even in the car with her. That's just too much work for him to even be, "troubled with the matter."
Sorry Dems. The high ground is out of reach for the win at all cost crowd.
After escaping from the car, leaving Mary Jo to suffocate/drown, Ted 'The Drunk' swam across the channel to the mainland and checked into a motel. Once there he placed several phone calls trying to get one of his relatives to take the blame for the incident. Not only is he a cheat, but a coward and liar as well.
So, what they are doing is limiting it down to cold hard cash. Which is what they wanted anyway.
He wasn't. She was in the car, unconscious, he thought she was dead because he hit her and knocked her head into the doorframe. She was fighting him off and telling him she was gonna let everyone know he was trying to rape her.
It would ruin his career.
He called his lawyers, and they got the CLEANUP GUY to come out. Mr CLEAN setup the car to drive off the bridge, leaving Mary Jo to come to consciousness, in the dark, in the water, in a car upside down.
Did Mr. CLEAN know she wasn't dead? It really doesn't matter, does it?
The Kennedy's paid off her parents so they would not demand an autopsy, because it would show evidence of a struggle and contusions to the head. That would conflict with Teddy's story.
That sounds much more plausible. Almost sounds like a blow by blow description of what my mother said might be a possibility...I'm also thinking MJ was still alive when Mr. CLEAN came around.
...And how can anybody get out of an upside-down car, I mean, come on. So who were the other folks who posed the unbelievable scenario? But then again, if everybody covers for you, it just don't matter how silly anything looks.
Political high ground by repeating EXACTLY what the Republican Plan from yesterday is?
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